GOT WINE????

 

It’s that time of year when those of us with an affection towards the fermented grape start stocking up. No, I don’t mean in anticipation of the holidays—although there are a plethora of wine occasions in the time between Halloween and Valentine’s Day which will require a sufficient supply! I’m talking about Hurricane Season. While it officially begins June 1, things don’t usually get “fun” until late September, at least where I live on the Chesapeake Bay. While I don’t understand the science of a monster storm—it has a lot to do with the ocean and gulf waters warmed in the summer sun, and other some other stuff—I do know they are better endured when fully stocked. Hence, I ensure a sufficient wine supply in my Hurricane Beach Bag to get me through the dark and stormy days.

THE WRITERLY LIFE: PERCEPTION vs. REALITY

Many people I’ve met are envious of the writerly life. But their perceptions of what it’s like to be a writer don’t quite match up to reality. Here are my observations.

     What society thinks I do: Spend all day rolling around in my royalty money.

     What my friends think I do: Go to lunch with them (well, yes, I do that a lot) and then go home and roll around in royalty money.

     What my family thinks I do: Binge on Chunky Monkey ice cream while watching TV, reaching out to tap out a few lofty and erudite sentences when the muse hits. (In my defense I do need to “study” the “occasional” movie for plotting and dialogue training. But it’s all under the banner of “continuing education.") And then roll around in royalty money.

TO PUMPKIN SPICE, OR NOT TO PUMPKIN SPICE...THAT IS THE QUESTION

<<I stay away from controversial subjects, as a rule. But today I'm going to stir the pot.>>

Labor Day Weekend is upon us. The official end of summer (well, technically not until September 22 but, you know, everything is rushed now-adays) so ready or not, here we go. 

Thanks to Starbucks, Pumpkin Spice everything has become the new harbinger of fall. And it has arrived. In full spicy-scented force. 

For the record, Starbucks did not INVENT Pumpkin Spice, they just exploited it. In 2003 they launched the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The “spice” itself is merely a combination of flavors traditionally used to season pumpkin pies: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. McCormick first sold that specific combination in a little jar in 1934. Variations of this combination have been found in cookery books as far back as the late 1700s. So to say it's something “new”, you could not be more wrong.